1. (adverb)merely, simply, just, only, but and nothingmore "I was merely asking"; "it is simply a matter of time"; "just a scratch"; "he was only a child"; "hopes that last but a moment"
Definitions of 'merely'
Webster 1913 Dictionary
1. (adverb)merely purely; unmixedly; absolutely
2. (adverb)merely not otherwise than; simply; barely; only
Definition of merely 
